Shield for handbag frames



April 16, 1963 A. WEIDENFELD SHIELD FOR HANDBAG FRAMES Filed July 5, 1960 INVENTOR. ABAA HAM WE/Df/VFELD ATTORNEY? United States Patent 3,085,609 SHIELD FOR HANDBAG FRAMES Abraham Weidenfeld, 714 'liilmot Road, Scarsdale, N.Y. Filed July 5, 196% Ser. No. 40,684 2 Claims. (Cl. 150-28) This invention relates to handbags and, more particularly, to covered handbag frames.

In the covering of certain types of handbag frames, it has been found that .the crimping of the frames during the assembly of the parts tends to cause a severance of the covering shields along the preformed score lines thereof. When such tearing or severance of these handbag frame shields occurs, a substantial amount of additional handling and repair is usually required in order to correct the fully finished product. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a special purpose shield for handbag frames of this type, which will tend to resist such tearing and severance along the fold lines, and which can be conveniently and effectively assembled with conventional handbag parts without any change in the design or construction of the operating assembly parts.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a shield for handbag frames which can be conveniently manufactured in large quantities at a relatively low cost, and which will readily adapt itself for assembly with other handbag parts during the normal fabrication thereof.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a shield for handbag frames of the type described, that is manufactured from flexible sheet plastic and preformed to provide spaced apart fold lines about which the lateral edges thereof may be folded into crimped secured engagement beneath the terminal side flanges of the handbag frame, which fold lines are so made as to achieve greater resistance to tearing and severance therealong.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification, taken in connection with the acompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary cross-sectional perspective view of certain parts of the present invention, illustrating the manner in which the shield is assembled with the associated handbag parts.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a shield for handbag frames made in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cros-sectional view of the handbag frame with which the shields of the present invention are especially adapted for use.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section taken on line 44- of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a graphic series of sectional views showing the pr-ogresive steps of applying the shield to the handbag frame.

Referring now to the drawing, a shield for handbag frames made in accordance with the present invention, is shown to include a substantially rectangular panel 12 of flexible material, such as thermoplastic material, having a continuous embossed score line .14 defining a side strip 16 along one edge of the panel. This side strip 16 and adjacent portions of the center of the panel 12 is provided with a cutout 18 which will accommodate an operating or a latch mechanism forming a part of the handbag frame 22.

\Another embossed score line is formed along the oppcsite longitudinal dege of the main panel 112 to define another side strip 20. This score line is a discontinuous weakening line formed by a plurality of alternately spaced apart indents 21 and intermediate lengths of normal thickness material 23. Thus, the indentations 21 provide means for folding the other side strip 20 about the interrupted score line, whereas the intermediate parent portions 23 of the panel tend to resist tearing of the score line throughout the entire length thereof. It will be noted that the terminal indentations 21 at each end of the intermittent score line are spaced inwardly from the longitudinal extremities of the'main panel 12, thus assuring full strength of the score line at its opposite longitudinal extremities, further tending to resist any tearing or severance thereof.

This shield 10 is especially useful for handbag frames 22 of generally C-shaped cross-sectional configuration having a substantially flat central portion and a pair of arcuate side strips 26, '30, each having a facing terminal edge 28, 24, respectively. The side strip 20 is first placed over the first terminal edge 24 of the handbag frame 22 so that the central portion of the panel 12 may be wrapped around the exterior surface of the handbag frame 22. The other side strip '16 of the shield is then inserted partly into the space between the facing edges 24, 28 of the handbag frame, as shown in FIG. 53, around the oppositely facing terminal edge 28 thereof, which serves to hold the side strip 20 in place Within the frame. The adjacent edges of the handbag cover 32 and liner 34 are then inserted into the space between the first and second longitudinal side strips 16, 20 of the shield, as shown in FIG. 5C, and which pushes the strip 16 further into the frame in the manner shown in FIG. 5D. The lowermost one 30 of the arcuate flanges of the handbag frame is finally crimped against the upper flange 26, thus securing the handbag cover 3-2, liner 3'4, and shield 10 in place. The crimping of the handbag frame further tends to tightly draw the shield panel 12 around the outer surface of the handbag frame, during which time the tearing stresses are ordinarily imposed along the score line formed by the indentations 21. However, in accordance with the present invention, the alternate spacing of the indentations 2.1 and the parent material 23 tends to minimize and deter any tearing or severance along this score line.

It :will now be recognized that these shields may be constructed of any desired material, in matching or contrasting color relative to the handbag, and may be used to extend along any desired length of the handbag frame.

While this invention has been described with particular reference to the construction shown in the drawing, it is to be understood that such is not to be construed as imparting limitations upon the invention, which is best defined by the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. \A handbag frame of generally C-shaped cross-sectional configuration having a pair of terminal side edges facing each other for crimping toward each other in a common direction toward the central portion of said frame intermediate said side edges, a shield for enveloping the exterior of said frame comprising a flexible panel of plastic sheet material having a pair of parallel score lines spaced apart a distance corresponding to the peripheral distance between the side edges of the frame, and at least one of said score lines being discontinuous and comprising a plurality of spaced indentations alternating with spaced imperforate, unscored areas, each terminal one of the indentations of said discontinuous score line being spaced inwardly from the adjacent end of said panel, said shield being folded on said score lines over the corresponding edges of said frame.

2. The combination of a handbag frame and a shield therefor comprising an elongated panel of flexible sheet plastics material for enveloping the exterior of said frame, a continuous score line defining one side strip along one longitudinal edge of said panel, a discontinuous score line defining another side strip along the opposite longitudinal edge of said panel, said discontinuous score line comprising a plurality of spaced indentations alternating with spaced imperforate, unscored areas, said panel being of generally rectangular configuration, and both of said score lines extending substantially parallel to said longitudinal edges of said panel, each terminal one of the indentations of said discontinuous score line being spaced inwardly from the adjacent end of said panel, said shield being folded on said respective score lines, one side strip of said panel extending around one side edge of the frame, the opposite side strip of said panel extending around the opposite side of said frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Ritter et al. 'Dec. 29, 1903 Moses Oct. 25, 1904 Hiering June 11, 1929 MacLellan July 29, 1930 Hiering Jan. 25, 1938 Friedman May 28, 1940 Giordano July 6, 1954 

1. A HANDBAG FRAME OF GENERALLY C-SHAPED CROSS-SECTIONAL CONFIGURATION HAVING A PAIR OF TERMINAL SIDE EDGES FACING EACH OTHER FOR CRIMPING TOWARD EACH OTHER IN A COMMON DIRECTION TOWARD THE CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID FRAME INTERMEDIATE SAID SIDE EDGES, A SHIELD FOR ENVELOPING THE EXTERIOR OF SAID FRAME COMPRISING A FLEXIBLE PANEL OF PLASTIC SHEET MATERIAL HAVING A PAIR OF PARALLEL SCORE LINES SPACED APART A DISTANCE CORRESPONDING TO THE PERIPHERAL DISTANCE BETWEEN THE SIDE EDGES OF THE FRAME, AND AT LEAST ONE OF SAID SCORE LINES BEING DISCONTINUOUS AND COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SPACED INDENTATIONS ALTERNATING WITH SPACED IMPERFORATE, UNSCORED AREAS, EACH TERMINAL ONE OF THE INDENTATIONS OF SAID DISCONTINUOUS SCORE LINE BEING SPACED INWARDLY FROM THE ADJACENT END OF SAID PANEL, SAID SHIELD BEING FOLDED ON SAID SCORE LINES OVER THE CORRESPONDING EDGES OF SAID FRAME. 